Hmm, which Dremel attachment to use to grind neg carriers?

eric · Nov 7, 2006

So I"m having fun with my new Dremel. I need to take off 2mm off my neg carrier all the way around. I seem to have a bunch of stuff that came with the Dremel but I dont' think none will work with the aluminum neg carrier.
Should I:

a. start by using a diamond round thing to make notches then use a ____ tool to remove the rest?
b. Use a cutting bit to make holes and then a _____ to remove the rest
c. Both A) and B) are wrong and what I need to do is ___________

Dave Parker · Nov 7, 2006

Eric,

Head to your local Home Depot, they carry every bit that dremel makes, take one of the boards with you and talk with the guy in the tool department and tell him what you need to do, then he can recommend the correct bit to do the job., myself personally would use the heavy duty cut off wheels, make your measurements then secure the board in a vice with soft jaws and slowly work around the scribed line..

Dave

ben-s · Nov 7, 2006

the first question would be; inside or outside? ie. do you want to make the hole bigger, or the carrier smaller?
Whatever you do, you'll end up with a shiny edge on the carrier, which will need blackening, preferrably with matt black spray paint.
You probably need to use a cutting disc, but Ali will clog it (or indeed almost any cutter) fairly rapidly.
As it's only 2mm, can't you just use a flat file? - the finish is likely to be better.

TheFlyingCamera · Nov 7, 2006

I just took a flat file and filed mine out - works easy enough, but don't forget a good dust mask, as you don't want to be inhaling aluminum shavings. Depending on the look you want for the final image, you may not need to blacken the edges of the carrier - I have left mine shiny and I like the effect of it.

Dave Parker · Nov 7, 2006

The new heavy duty cut off wheels sold for the dremel are quite effective on aluminum, they don't load up nearly as bad as normal cut off wheels, I used to use them when I worked in the RV business, where virtually everything is aluminum and they were to only thing that would allow us to continue cutting.

Dave

ben-s · Nov 7, 2006

Dave Parker said:
The new heavy duty cut off wheels sold for the dremel are quite effective on aluminum, they don't load up nearly as bad as normal cut off wheels, I used to use them when I worked in the RV business, where virtually everything is aluminum and they were to only thing that would allow us to continue cutting.

Dave

OK, I stand corrected. I've always had mine clog with ali.
would these be the fibreglass reinforced oxide ones?

Dave Parker · Nov 7, 2006

Hi Ben,

Yes they have some newer models of blades that work quite well, the little thin ones most of the time just get hot and break, the fiber reinforced ones actually work quite well, but for their size are darn expensive , I think the last ones that I bought were something like $8 for 5 of them, I can buy full sized 4 inch discs for cheaper than that, but again, if they do the job, then I guess they are worth it, I have even used my dremel to cut out the floor pan in my jeeps to replace them with Aluminum panels cause of rust problems,....pretty good stuff for such a small package.

Dave

ben-s · Nov 7, 2006

Hi Dave,
I only ever used one - the one packaged with the dremel.
Then one of my hamfisted friends decided to try and cut a 2" square bar of hardened stainless at the speed you'd cut brass shim chewed it up pretty quick, I must say.
Thanks for the heads up on them though - I'll have to buy a pack some time.

eric · Nov 7, 2006

TheFlyingCamera said:
I just took a flat file and filed mine out - works easy enough,

That's what I usually do but I now have a 4x5 carrier I want to file out. That's a lot of real estate.

I went to Home Despot during lunch and the guy there didn't know. But someone did. He was looking for stuff. Said a Dremel probably not the best to do what I'm doing but he mentioned the heavy duty cutter will work and then use a sanding bit. So I got a pack of 20 of those and try it out.

"Wear Goggles" was the tip.

photobum · Nov 7, 2006

8" mill bastard file. A dremel is good for a lot of things, cutting a straight line is not one of them.

Dave Parker · Nov 7, 2006

photobum said:
8" mill bastard file. A dremel is good for a lot of things, cutting a straight line is not one of them.

I happen to disagree, I cut quite a few straight lines with my dremel all the time..

I have even used it to cut a few pieces of glass, if you pay attention to the way the tool works, you can do quite a good job with it and get straight lines.

Dave

eric · Nov 7, 2006

photobum said:
8" mill bastard file. A dremel is good for a lot of things, cutting a straight line is not one of them.

I have an 8" mil bastard file and while great for 35mm and 6x6 opennings, using it for a 4x5 openning is crazy. I still need to get 2mm all the way around 2 sheets of 1/8" aluminum. I'm not worried about a straight line for now, I just need as much off before filing it smooth.

Hmm, which Dremel attachment to use to grind neg carriers?

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